Benjamin Edwards Inc. Sells 322 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 42,289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 322 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $3,059,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Concord Wealth Partners grew its position in Ameren by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in Ameren by 124.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. CNB Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 46.7% during the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 93.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AEE shares. Barclays lowered their target price on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $79.40.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $115,241.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $115,241.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $513,989.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE stock traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $74.76. The company had a trading volume of 430,768 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,710,426. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $72.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.45. Ameren Co. has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $90.72. The company has a market capitalization of $19.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.43.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.03 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 15.36%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.33%.

About Ameren

Ameren Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution, Ameren Illinois Natural Gas, and Ameren Transmission. It engages in the rate-regulated electric generation, transmission, and distribution activities; and rate-regulated natural gas distribution business.